I retired at 55, and this blog describes my experiences, observations and feelings about retirement.

Friday, September 5, 2014

What I did on my summer vacation

Flowers at Kansas City market

...in the last month anyway...

Suffice it to say that this summer was a whirlwind of activity. Kind of like when you were a kid and summer vacations flew by and all of a sudden you were getting ready to go back to school. I know, I know, you are wondering why summer vacation matters if you are retired. Good point, but since Mike starts teaching again next week, we both feel like kids counting down our final free days.

So here's a quick glimpse what we've been up to since late July:

Taking shelter during Fogerty concert

We went to a John Fogerty Concert at White River Park on a stormy night in late July. We had to evacuate the park because of pending storms, and we rode out the storm under the roof of the maintenance shed.

Crazy people in a POD

And a few people took shelter in PODS. What can I say?

John Fogerty and band rocking it

John Fogerty came on the stage about an hour later than planned, but was it worth it. He played his heart out with one Creedence song after another.

And then the rains came again, and no one left this outdoor venue. We were soaking wet watching this amazing concert, singing every song and dancing in the rain. And I knew God had a sense of humor when John Fogerty began singing "Have you ever seen the rain?" in this torrential downpour.

Mary and Stan

Next up came a trip to Kansas City with our friends Mary and Stan. Stan was attending a Veterinary Convention, and it was a great opportunity to get together for the weekend.

Can you find Mikie in the bubble?

We packed a lot into a couple of days including bars and restaurants in the Power and Light District, visiting the Aquarium and shopping at the City Market. We had amazing meals with breakfast at Sasha's and ribs at Jack Stack's at Country Club Plaza.

Do you believe it? 105 degrees!

And Sunday night was the big Vet Conference extravaganza that included food, drinks and a great band. The next morning we said our goodbyes to K.C. and 105 degree temps.

At the class reunion

And this past weekend we went to Mike's 40th high school class reunion. I met lots of people , and we enjoyed an action packed weekend of activities. First was the reunion dinner which was a little boring, but several of us then headed to the American Legion bar, and that's when things got a bit more lively.

Reunion class at the American Legion..

Gary and Peggy at Labor Day Festival

On Sunday we toured the high school, and I LOVED the big smiles on the classmates' faces as they went into classrooms and the gym and relived so many memories.

Later that day we headed to St. Mary's Catholic Church Labor Day festival. Good food, cheap beer and a wonderful 80''s band called "The Brat Pack" made for a fun day. And my brother and his wife happened to be in town for the weekend so they joined the festivities.

And then there's the major project of the summer. THE PORCH! Seems like every spare moment is spent working on it or talking about next steps. But we're making progress, and it looks great!

And it wouldn't be my blog if I didn't include some flowers from summer gardening...

Newly planted hydrangea and white rose

So this summer has been crazy busy, and yes, maybe I'm ready for some down time.

But I'm sure things will slow down this Fall when Mike starts teaching and the porch is finished! Until then, I keep moving with the tide of activities and falling asleep exhausted each evening.

About Me

My name is Diane, and I recently retired. I am exploring life after working for 30 plus years in banking and insurance. I love writing and photography, and I thought writing a blog about retirement would be a great way to chronicle this new chapter in life. And I'm starting to get used to the label "retiree", well sort of...